Parent Newsletter - July/August, 2019

From the President 

Dear Parents,

A recent conversation with my favorite college freshman focused on his course registration for his first semester at Wheaton.

The amazing range of classes available to Wheaton students in our Christ at the Core curriculum makes it hard to decide what courses to take—a good problem to have. The First-Year Seminar options include 31 topics as freshmen and transfers study enduring questions in biology, literature, art, psychology, history, theology, neuroscience, spiritual disciplines, and more.

I encourage all our students to follow their intellectual curiosity and life passions in selecting courses across the curriculum throughout their time at Wheaton.

As our students build a fall schedule that reflects their intellectual interests, I pray that all of them will grow in discernment as they prayerfully select their courses and prepare to join us in a few short weeks.

In Christ’s service,


Philip Ryken
President

Resources for Wheaton Parents

Have you joined the Wheaton Parent Facebook group? This group is a great place to connect with fellow parents, to ask questions of the Wheaton parent community, and to reach out for advice on anything related to your student's Wheaton experience. To sign up, log on to Facebook and request to join.

Did you also know there's a group of parents who serve the College by serving fellow Wheaton parents? The Parent Council is a group of current Wheaton parents who help with parent events during Orientation and Family Weekend and serve as a resource to the College on issues unique to current parents. Visit the Parent Council page to meet this year's members.

We encourage you to spend time browsing the Parent Engagement web pages. Here you'll find links to offices across campus, dates for upcoming events, answers to frequently asked questions, and opportunities for involvement. If you have questions, please drop us a line at parents@wheaton.edu.

New parents: Please remember to file your parent or guardian contact information.

Campus Housing

New Students

Campus housing opens to new students on Friday, August 23, between 9am-4pm. Students attending Passage may move into their housing on Thursday afternoon, August 22, once they return to campus from Honey Rock.

Continuing students

Continuing students are invited to return to campus beginning on Sunday, August 25 through Tuesday, August 27, between the hours of 2-5pm. Consideration for arrival without charge, prior to the 25th, is given only to continuing students who are sponsored by a faculty or staff member and who are a required participant in activities which necessitates being on campus. Examples are fall athletes, student teachers, on-campus employees, and members of student leadership teams.

All other early arrival requests will be subject to denial or a nightly charge. Approval will be considered, with a nightly charge, for students meeting these criteria:

• Students arriving early to begin a for-credit internship
• International students arriving directly from an international country
• Travel hardship
• Siblings of new students or student leaders (charge waived)

Students must submit requests through the online application found at the Residence Life website; questions may be directed to reslife@wheaton.edu.

Student Health Services

Student Health Services (SHS) is a full-service primary care clinic staffed by registered nurses, medical doctors, and a nurse practitioner. Students may make appointments Monday through Friday by walking in, telephone, or online through MyChart. In addition to provider visits, SHS offers lab services, stocked over-the-counter and prescription medications, allergy injections, massage therapy, and a travel clinic.

While SHS does not bill insurance, a statement for every visit will be sent to the patient’s student account for submission to insurance if desired. The charge for a sick visit is $45 for the new patient and $30 for each subsequent visit. Wheaton College is unable to offer an ACA compliant student health insurance plan at this time, although insurance coverage in the state of Illinois is highly recommended for every student. For F1 Visa-holding students and other qualifying international students, the College offers an accident and illness insurance plan through LewerMark, with many benefits including 100% coverage for visits at SHS. Please feel free to email health.insurance@wheaton.edu for general insurance-related questions.

SHS strives to maintain the safety of every student by addressing any specific health conditions or concerns as well as ensuring that incoming students are free from and protected against communicable disease while living within the Wheaton community. Student Health Services appreciates the diligence in completing the incoming medical entrance requirements this summer. For any questions related to these entrance requirements, please call SHS at 630.752.5072 or visit our website at wheaton.edu/shs.

Proactive tips for supporting and caring for your student

Student Care Services (SCS) serves as the central point of contact for proactive, responsive, coordinated care and support for all Wheaton students. Your student will receive coordinated care and support that encompasses their holistic development (emotional, social, spiritual, intellectual, physical, and mental health). Likewise, SCS desires to partner with parents and provide on-going tips throughout the year for how to best support your maturing student while at Wheaton College. In this effort, SCS has made a monthly Parent Care Corner Card. If you or your student find you are needing some care and support, please have them contact the Student Care Services at 630.752.5941.

Last Call for Wheaton Passage!

This year nearly 50% of the incoming class will participate in Wheaton Passage. In the last month alone, over 60 students have signed up! As a two-credit introductory course, Passage helps students:

• Build solid friendships with peers and upperclassmen
• Meet and interact with professors outside of the classroom
• Develop a healthy vision for their college experience

It’s not too late to sign up and learn more about Wheaton Passage!

Passage isn’t the only way for students to get involved at HoneyRock – check out how HoneyRock serves undergraduate students throughout their time at Wheaton.

Freshmen Parents: A note from the Registrar

The transition from high school to college is an adjustment for both parents and students. Many parents are accustomed to school portals that let them track their student’s daily assignments and grades and find the college shift in responsibility to their student a stretching experience. Below are guidelines about student records.

• FERPA (the Federal Education Records Privacy Act) limits what information the College can share with the parents of an enrolled student.  The College cannot share grades, attendance or progress, change a student’s schedule or give registration information to parents without the student’s express written permission. This permission is set-up through an Authorization for Release of Information Form. Parents and students will get information about this form and its use during New Student Orientation.
• Beginning August 28, the Registrar's office will be unable to share specific information about your student’s record without their written permission. We ask you to send your student to the Registrar’s Office where we will be able to answer their questions directly.
• Students may invite their parents to access certain portions of their record (final grades, transcript, financial aid award, etc.) by completing the Proxy process in the Student Portal Banner Self-Service menu.  The instructions for setting up proxy rights will be sent to new students in early August via their my.wheaton.edu e-mail address.

Registration update: The majority of new freshmen have registered for fall classes and each schedule has been reviewed by the Freshman Advising team. Freshmen will have until July 26 to register or make changes to their schedule and then access will be frozen until the last day of New Student Orientation.

Please note:  All incoming freshmen must submit their final high school transcript, showing their graduation date, by August 10. Transcripts should be mailed to Wheaton College Undergraduate Admissions, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton, IL  60187. An Academic Hold will be placed on student records without final high school transcripts on September 1.

CVC News

View the infographic

The CVC is pleased to share our By The Numbers infographic for 2018-2019. Check out all of the exciting ways your students engaged with us this past year, and discover ways they can connect with us in the year to come!

Bookstore

The Bookstore is in the process of transitioning to a new service provider. During this transition, the websites www.wheatonbooks.com and thundershop.wheaton.edu are under construction. The new websites will be available no later than August 10, 2019.

Textbooks and course packs will be available at the Bookstore's temporary North Harrison Hall location in early August.

Thunder spirit wear can be purchased at the Bookstore's lower level of the Welcome Center location in early August.

Athletics

The start of 2019-20 varsity athletic seasons will soon be here. All students planning to participate in a varsity sport are required to submit proof of primary insurance prior to the first practice. Additionally, incoming freshmen student-athletes need to have a physical completed and returned prior to the first practice. The physical form and other athletic forms can be found on the Student Health Services site, as well as directions on how to submit Athletic entrance forms for Fall 2019. Please visit the Wheaton Sports Medicine site for student-athlete insurance information for the upcoming season.

Watch Wheaton games

Thunder fans can watch many home events live in high definition on the Wheaton Thunder Sports Network (WTSN). In 2017-18, a record 49,370 viewers watched live WTSN broadcasts of Thunder sports. Broadcasts can be seen live on Livestream or on Facebook. You can also watch live by downloading the Livestream app on iTunes, Google Play or Roku Store. Archived broadcasts are available on Livestream and YouTube.

How can you pray for Wheaton this month?

• Pray for new students preparing for life at Wheaton. Pray for the students who will begin Wheaton Passage between August 7-22. Pray that international students will quickly meet new friends who connect with their experience. Pray for our student leaders including Residence Life Staff, Student Orientation Committee, Student-Athletes, and Student Government as they prepare for their role in welcoming new students.
• Pray for new faculty and staff who are moving to Wheaton. Pray that they will be able to settle smoothly into their new home and position.
• Pray for families who enter the school year feeling financially challenged or burdened by concerns of health or relationship. We are mindful of the personal story each student brings to campus.

 

With thanks for your involvement and prayers,

The Wheaton College Parent Engagement team